Signaling system.



H. B. MEAD & H. F. GUENTZLER.

SIGNALING SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 24, 1910.

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H. B. MEAD & H. F. GUENTZLER.

Patented Mar. 16, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHBET 2.

THE NORRIS PETERS 6a.. PHOTU-LITHLI, WASHINGTON D c.

E R J3. MEAD AND HERMAN E. GU'ENTZLER. E CLEVELAND, OHIO,

' CARL r. MEAD, or cLEvELANn, OHIO.

ASSIGNORS T0 SIGNALING SYSTEM.

Application filed October 24, 1910.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, HENRY B. MEAD and HERMAN F. GUENTzLEn, citizens of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and'useful Improvements in Signaling Systems, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates generally to signaling apparatus and particularly to devices of that type used for signaling from an office or similar place to different portions of a shop or plant to indicate the call for a fore man or other official no matter where he may be at the time.

Still more specifically the invention relates to a signaling system comprising a plurality of signals controlled and operated by a suitable selective device and commutator connected to the several alarms or signals and arranged in a manner such that the operator may select any call, and then set the apparatus in motion when the particular call selected will be sounded throughout the shop or plant until the operator shifts a controlling device when the device will cease to give the signal and the selective device will be released and free for manipulation in giving another signal, the selective device being locked during the operation of the signal. The arrangement of the mechanism is such that until the operator returns the controlling device the signal is repeated.

Further invention resides in certain de tails of construction hereinafter set forth in the following description, drawings and claims.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of the cabinet together with a diagrammatic showing of the alarm sys tem; Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the cabinet with the back open to show the interior mechanism; Fig. 3 is a sectional view upon the line 33 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the controlling lever; Fig. 5 is a detail view of the switch; and Fig. 6 is a detail view of the gearing.

In carrying out the invention'any preferred form and construction of parts may be employed so long as they possess the necessary characteristics, but we have shown one form in the drawings which is highly effective in operation, and in such embodiment. 1 and 2 represent signals in the form of bellsin a circuit composed of Wires 3 and Specification of Letters Patent. i

Patented Mar. 16, 1915.

Serial No. 588,693.

4 which lead to a battery 5 on the one hand and to a cabinet 6 on the other. The arrangement of this mechanism is as follows :There are alarm signals or bells placed at suitable distances apart in the shop orplant and they are all wired to a battery and to the cabinet so that upon a completion of the circuit in the line all the bells or alarms are sounded, the bells preferably being single-strike hells.

The cabinet 6 contains the operating and controlling mechanism, or the mechanism for giving or sounding the signals and comprising a suitable frame or plate 7 secured against the front wall of the cabinet and having mounted thereon a suitable motor 9 provided with a shaft 10 and a worm 11 mounted upon an insulating sleeve 12 se cured to the shaft. This worm ll meshes with a worm wheel 13 mounted upon a shaft 14 supported bv a bracket 15 on the frame 7. This shaft 14 is also provided with a driving pinion l6 meshing with a relatively large gear wheel 17 mounted upona pin 18 secured in the frame or plate 7. This gear wheel has secured to one side face thereof a suitable camming disk 19 having a continuous unbroken periphery, except for onefourth of the entire circumference, there being at this point an abrupt recess 20 for a purpose to be described. The gear wheel 17 also constitutes an auxiliary commutator and is provided upon one of its faces, and for substantially a half of its circumference, with an insulating strip 21 secured to the side face of the wheel in any preferred manner. The ear wheel is still further provided with a crank pin 22 engaging in a slot 23 of a brush lever 24. This brush 1e.- ver is pivoted upon a pin 25 secured in the frame and has one of its arms extending out beyond the pivot and there provided with a brush 26 insulated therefrom by a block of insulation 24 and secured thereto by a bolt 26. This brush is adapted for engagement with the side face of a main commutator wheel 27 which is mounted upon a shaft 28 supported in the frame 7 and extending out through the front of the cabinet. This commutator wheel 27 is provided upon the face adjacent to the brush lever with projections 29 forming contact segments and arranged at predetermined points along spoke like portions of the commutator wheel. These projections or segments are flush with the surfaceof insulator strips mounted over the side face of the entire wheel and forming a flat contlnuoussu-rface and accommodatlng the travel of the brush 26.

The spoke-like portions of the wheel extend brush lever 24, as it movesupon itsipinfio' so that whenever oneofthe spoke-like portions of the, commutator wheel is under the brush and thelatter is moved through its path of movement, the brush will follow along the same andimake contact with the several projections or segments thereon.

The signaling circuit is connected by a wire 32 forming a. continuation of one of the wires 3" and 4ewith the brush 26 and by a wire 31 forming acontin'uationof. the other one of such wires, witha brush 33 se cured. to. but: insulatedfrom the frame in any suitable manner. This brush. 33 engages-the auxiliary, commutator or the side face of the gear wheel 17. The arrangement of these parts is such that as the lever '24 is being rocked in a counter clockwise direction and itsbrush. is traveling upward over the commutatorwheel, the brush 33 is also engaging the exposed sideface of the wheel so that the signal circuit is closed throughout the device, when the brush 26 engages the severalprojections'or segments of the commutator portion with which it is in engagement at'that time.- In this way the propersignal is given. In every instance where a device of this character is used, thereare a number of signals to be given and these signals are made up upon the spoke commutator portions of the commutator wheel, that is, .for example, there is a circular segment near the center and this will naturally give onering so that one of the spoke members of the commutator "wheel is blank, except for thisring. The next member has a commutator segment at a distance beyond thering 30 so that there-will be two operations of the alarm,

and this feature is continued around the several spoke portions-of the wheel'for the different signals to be given. Upon the re-- turn movement' of the brush. 26 or when the lever isrccked- 111: a clockwise direction, the

- brush 33 is engaging the insulated portion of thewheel '17 and: the signal circuit is broken. V 1

' In order to select the proper signal orthe 'propercommutator portion, thelcabinet is provided upon. its frontwith a plate 36 in theformof a dial and it contains the several indications or'several signals which are to be given. At each one of these signals there isa notch-37: which receives a projection 38 carried by an operating lever 39' mounted upon the-shaft 28. I By means of thislever,

' the commutator wheel is .shifted; from o'ne notch to the other and when it is in a notch the corresponding commutator spoke portion is in the proper position underfthe brush 26; 7 V

The operation of the motor is under the control of a lever which is manually thrown. into operation to start the device but may be automatically thrown out of operative position; by thedevice; itself, provided the operatorhas set it to performthis function. This mechanism comprises a switch lever '40 mounted upon a pin 41 and; provided with a lug 42 at .one endfor engagement with the periphery. ofthe cam disk '19 and i normally held'in engagement with the periphery of said disk by a spring 43 secured totheframe. The oppositeeend of this lever, as shown in Fig. 5, has secured; to it" a knife switch. member, 44 mounted between insulating strips 45 J and 46. All of these parts are secured tothe lever 40 by means of'screws 47. This knife switch; member engages'leaf switch members 48';and 49, the former being connected by a wire 50 with suitable resistance coils 51 and thelatter being connected by a wi're 52 with the mo: tor. Suitable electric connections from any source of supply lead to the resistance coil onfthe one hand and to the motor on the other, so that the circuit "to the motor is closed, except when-the switch 44 is out of engagement with the. leaf switch members 48.

Inorder to lock the commutator wheel after it has been set and before any signal has been given, we provide suitable notches 53 upon theperiphery of :thiswheel, and these notches areengaged by a lug 54 projecting from the lever 40 so that when the gagenient with one of the notches 53" and the commutator wheel is locked againstrotation until the lever'40 is out of such position. Normally theswitch lever 4O1has a tendency to shift in a, clockwise direction so that the knife switch member 44 is out of engagement with the switch. members 48 and 49, but such position is onlyipos'sible when the lug 42 is inethe; recessQOpfthe cam disk 19', but when it is in this position the entire device 15 at rest and no current 1s bemg supplied to the motor.

Suitable mechanism is provided for nipulatin'g. and; shifting this lever in. a countor clockwise direction to. bring the knife switch member 44 intoengagement; withthe other switch members, and. it; comprises an operating lever 55. pivoted upon .a 13111.56

mounted upon a. bracket 57 secured to, the framework and'pro ecting out throughethe firs 1 he sat -st Whe e. i P -Y d with a finger piece 58 by means of which it may be shifted back and forth in a slot 5%) in the cabinet. This operating lever is provided with a screw 61 upon its upper face and passing through a slot 62 in a link 63 which is pivotally secured by means of a screw 6% to the lever 40, the arrangement being such that when the finger piece 58, as shown in Fig. 1 in the front of the cabinet, is shifted to the left, the link 63 shifts the lower end of the lever 40 to the left causing the knife switch member 4% to engage be tween the switch members 48 and 4:9 when current will be supplied to the motor and the lug 42 will be raised out of the recess 20 of the disk 19, the motor being then free to drive the wheel 17 and operate the brush lever in a manner already described, but after the motor has once started or has run suiliciently so that the lug is raised above the periphery of the disk 19, then the operating lever may be shifted back into initial position and the device will continue to give the signal and will automatically shut oil when the lug 42 reaches the recess 20 when it will drop into the same and the lever ill will be shifted in a clockwise direction,

causing the knife switch member to be thrown out of engagement with the other switch members, thus breaking the circuit of the motor and stopping the operation of the device. The return oi the operating lever is permitted as above outlined by reason of the slot and oin connection between it and the switch lever i0.

It is desirable to have the operating lever 55 assume either the extreme right or left position positively and this is brought about by means of a wire spring 65 secured to the bracket 57 and to the lever, the former being provided with a shoulder 66 forming camming portions on each side thereoi for cooperating with a screw 67 secured to the perating lever 55 and serving to hold it in one position or the other. It is quite obvious that when the lever is held in the on posi' tion, the lever 40 will be held in operative position with the knife switch in engagement, causing the motor to continue to drive the mechanism.

Having described our claim 1. Calling apparatus for shops and the like, a contact member having a plurality of contact portions, one for each call, brush mechanism for engaging said contact device, means for producing a relative movement between the contact member and the brush mechanism, and controlling means for permitting said apparatus to operate and pro duce a single operation of any call and to further cause the operating mechanism to automatically repeat the call.

2. Commutator mechanism for electrical signals comprising a. commutator member invention, we

vice which when in one position causes the signal to be given once only, and when in another position holds the mechanism in position to repeat the signal until released.

3. Commutator mechanism for electrical signals comprising a. commutator member having commutator portions, a brush memer cooperating with said portions and supported to engage any one of said portions when the latter is in the proper position, a

motor for producing a relative movement of the commutator and the brush member, a circuit controller for said motor, means for breaking the circuit after a single operation of the device in the production of a call, and manually operated means for starting the motor and including instrumentalities for permitting the automatic stopping of the motor after a sin le operation and for holding the controlling mechanism in operative position to cause the device to repeat its operation in repeating a signal.

4. Cummutator mechanism for electrical signals comprising a commutator member having commutator portions, a brush member supported to engage any one of said commutator portions when the latter is in the proper position, a motor for shifting said brush member, a switch for controlling said motor, means normally tending to shift said switch into the off position, means operated by the motor for holding said switch in closed position during a predetermined movement of the brush member, and means for initially operating said switch.

5. Commutator mechanism for electrical signals comprising a commutator member having commutator portions, a brush member mounted to engage any one of said portions when the latter is in the proper position, a motor for shifting said brush member, a switch for controlling said motor,

means normally tending to shift said switch into the oii' position, means operated by the motor for holding said switch in a closed position during a predetermined movement of the brush member and then releasing the switch to its normal tendency, and an operating device for shifting said switch to bring about the initial starting of the device.

6. Commutator mechanism for electrical signals comprising a commutator member having commutator portions, a brush member supported to engage any one of said portions when the latter is in proper position, a motor for shifting said brush memof the brush member and then releasing the switch during its normal tendency, and an operating lever adapted when in one posltion to start the device and hold the switch closed, and when in another position to permit the switch member to return to its normal position at the end of themovement of the brush member.

7. commutator mechanism for electrical signals comprising a commutator. member having commutator portions, a brush member supported to engage any one of said portions when the latter isin proper position, a motor for shifting said brush member, a switch for controlling said motor, means normally tending to shift said switch into the off position, means operated by the motor for holding said switch in a closed position during a predetermined movement of the brush member and then releasing the switch to its normal tendency, an operating lever adapted the device and hold the'switch closed, and

when in another position to permit the switch member to return to its normal position at the end of the movement of the brush member, and a spring for holding said operating lever in either of its twopositions.

8. Gommutator mechanism for electrical signals comprising a commutator member having commutator portions one for each call, a brush member mounted to engage any one of said commutator portions when the latter is in the proper'position, means for operating said brush member, a selective device for selecting the proper commutator portion, means for holding the commutator member in the selected position, and means under the control of the brush operating mechanism for positively locking the com- .mutator member during the. movement. of the brush member.

9. :Commutator mechanism for electrical signals comprising a commutator wheel having substantially radially disposed'commutator portions one for each call, a brush member mounted to travel over any one of saidv commutator portions when the. latter Copies of this patent when in one position to start member for locking the commutator vwheel against rotation during the operation of the device. 7 v

10. Commutator mechanism for electrical signals comprising a commutator wheel having a plurality of commutator portions and" V a shoulder on the periphery corresponding to each commutator portion, a brush mem ber mounted to engage any one of saidcommutator portions when the latter is in proper shifting said v brush 7 position, a motor for member, a switch member carry ng a swltch for controlling said motor, means for holding said switch member with the switch in a closed position, a projection carried by said swltch 'member for engagement with one of the shoulders on the periphery of the;

commutator wheel to holdithe same locked ,during the operation of the device, and

means for'selecting theproper commutator portion. 7 r V 11. In a signaling system, a s gnal circuit,

and commutator mechanism for closing said circuit'and consisting of a frame, a com mutator wheel rotatably' mounted upon said.

frame, commutator portions carried by, said wheel, a brush lever pivotally' mounted upon the frame, a brush carried by said member ated by the motor, anda brush cooperating therewith, said auxiliary commutator and brush being adapted to break the signal circuit during one cycle'of movement of the mam commutator brush.

In testimony whereof we afltiX our signavand insulated therefrom and connected to 7' tures in presence of two witnesses as "fol- 5 lows. V V

HENRY B; MEAD;

I HERMAN F. GUENTZLER.

Witnesses: r

ALTON H. BEMI's, a V CHRISTINE H. T EscHQ may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner :Patentt Washington, D. C. 

